This Pop-Up Tent Company is What Every Rustic Wedding Needs

Picture this: You and your honey-to-be are having the rustic-inspired wedding of your dreams, surrounded by your best friends and closest family members. Sure, there’s someone off in the distance that neither of you really recognize (second cousin from Florida brought her boyfriend without permission, perhaps?), but it doesn’t even matter because you have each other and a swath of towering redwood trees to ensconce you in eternal happiness. So what’s missing?

Nothing, really. The whole thing sounds just dreamy, but when we think about woodsy weddings from a decor standpoint, well, there’s ALWAYS something to add to the backdrop, be it a lemonade stand or hay stack. But what if there were pop-up tents for your guests to hang out in, filled with everything from real beds to wool Pendleton blankets? Pretty awesome, right?

We felt the same way, which is why we were beyond excited when we had an opportunity to chat with the team behind Shelter Co., a mobile event company that creates the sleep vignettes we just described, (did we mention they come with s’mores kits?). Check out some intel we snagged from Kelsey Sheofsky, co-founder of Shelter Co. below, then sound off in the comments and let us know if you’ve ever had tents at a wedding or party (weekend camping trips don’t count).

What’s the backstory behind Shelter Co.? Have you always been drawn to the nostalgia of camping?Kelsey Sheofsky: I grew up going to summer camp. Every year I went to the Redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains and I went camping with my family, so it’s something I’ve always had fond memories of. The whole idea of Shelter Co. came about because I was doing weddings as an event planner and wanted to figure out a way for people to have weddings in remote locations that didn’t have lodging options.

You guys do much more than assemble luxe tents, what are the fun activities that you provide that add to the camping-themed weddings?
KS: We use our tents often as lounge tents, so we can do whiskey tasting tents or activity tents where we have board games. All of our clients like to do fire pits with lounge furniture and blankets and s’mores. We’re trying to bring back the idea of making hobo pies.

Let’s talk about wedding trends you’re seeing in 2014.
KS: People are placing value in creating a whole weekend experience. It’s hard to put so much time and effort into a party that only lasts 8 hours. And a lot of our events can go all night — you can stay up until 5 a.m. playing guitar by the bonfire if you want, there are no restrictions.